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- United are eighth in the league table
- Have lost seven out of 14 games this season
- Ten Hag confident of a brighter future
WHAT HAPPENED? The Red Devils slumped to another derby defeat to Manchester City last weekend, which was their seventh loss in 14 games across all competitions in the current campaign. However, their Dutch manager has insisted that he is "certain" of a brighter future, while writing to the fans ahead of the team's Carabao Cup fixture against Newcastle United on Wednesday.
WHAT THEY SAID: "At Manchester United, every game involves high stakes," Ten Hag wrote in the United Review. "Every single day, there is pressure on everybody involved with this club, but those demands and standards are a challenge which we must always meet head-on. While this has not been the start to the season that we had all hoped for, I am certain that we have the talent and attitude as a collective to move in the right direction. I believe that it is only a matter of time before we are showing our true selves. It will come, I am certain. I continue to believe in these players and am confident we will improve after a difficult start to the season."
THE BIGGER PICTURE: While senior players such as captain Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford have faced flak for failing to rise to the occasion, Ten Hag has come under scrutiny for his questionable team selection. It has been suggested that the Dutchman could face the sack if results don't improve quickly, but he is confident that the players are all still pulling in the same direction.
"I continue to believe in these players and am confident we will improve after a difficult start to the season," he said. "Nobody at this club enjoys defeat, particularly in a Manchester derby like last Sunday, but everything we have achieved together so far has been built on looking forward, which means we have to move on quickly from what happens, whether it is positive or negative. There is no point in feeling sorry for ourselves at this moment in time. We have never spent too long enjoying our victories, so we will not spend too much time thinking about our losses. We must always look forward, together."
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GettyWHAT NEXT? Ten Hag will urge his players to draw inspiration from their Carabao Cup final win in February when they host Newcastle in midweek, before their attention turns to a Premier League clash against Fulham on November 4.